As records seem to suggest, the Order of the Black Rose was originally founded approximately 2100 years ago, under the name Guild of Hreen by the Mage Hreen. The guild's focus was apparently temporal research. Over the years many followers were drawn to Hreen. Not just Mage acolytes, but an entire support infrastructure. Hreen constructed the four Temporal Towers to house the guild's research, and a small village sprung up around the towers. The village was known as Rosedale - possibly as a translation of Hreen's name from his native tongue.
It seems as Hreen was one of the mages involved in the creation of the Earthstones. It appears that all of his efforts were not directed at the greater good, but most of his efforts turned inward to the protection of his Guild and the village of Rosedale. While he ostensibly worked on the Earthstones, his focus was to use this knowledge and most of his power to create a derivative of the Earthstone to protect his area. However, his actions were discovered, and his stone of power was removed and its energy used to help power the Earthstones.
When the cataclysm occurred, it seems the Hreen, Rosedale and at least three of the Temporal Towers were destroyed. The remaining followers of Hreen felt as if they were sacrificed by the Mages and Clerics who had taken their protection from them. They vowed revenge against those who had killed Hreen and done them harm. To this end, they created the Order of the Black Rose.
Records are very sparse for the first several centuries after the Cataclysm. However, approximately 1100 years ago, a Sage by the Name of Krevil penned a journal of which I now possess. It states that at that time the Order was known to have over two thousand members on a number of fragments. Krevil, who apparently received much of his information from someone directly connected with the Order, writes in part:
"The Order is very strictly structured, with a governing body known as the seven petals. They meet twice a year at a structure known as Timehold. None, even he who claims to have been in the 3rd circle of the order can tell me where this place is..........While he claims that the purpose of the order is to protect the works of the Temporal Master by eliminating all threats to his works and his sucseccors, he claims that most of his assignments were commercial and that the order has vast financial interests throughout the fragments.......The order attempts to recruit both accomplished mages and clerics as well as those accomplished with arms. If those selected for recruitment are unreceptive, they are considered a threat and dealt with appropriately.....Any information about the Earthstones is considered of the utmost importance, and is given the highest priority........The Order is said to indirectly own a number of Dragonships unbeknownst to their operators"
Krevil's dissertation goes on for numerous pages, but the fundamentals can be summarized as the Order has a diverse set of financial interests (run through shadow or front organizations) which they use to gain information and recruit followers for the ultimate purpose of extracting revenge and possible something more sinister.
In recent years it seems that the order has become more flagrant in their actions. I became aware of them almost ten years ago when my mentor was approached in an attempt to recruit. Before he disappeared, he related what little he knew about the order, and vowed he would never join such a group. Since his disappearance I have made it my work to expose this group.
Many of their order wear a small silver and obsidian clasp or broach on their person, though in recent months I have actually seen men in black armor, emblazoned with a rose - I'm sure they are part of this evil group.
My most startling discovery I have just made. I believe that the true purpose of the order is to destroy the Earthstones. For what purpose, or to what end I can not say. To lend credibility to this work I have enclosed the untranslated document I found on the member of the Order who was sent to destroy me.
While I know I have little time left, I leave this in hopes that my work will not have been in vain. For those who follow, I believe the key is the Timehold. I am off in search of this place - a place I fear is one of the original Temporal Towers long believed lost, and actually existing in some sort of "time hole".
Do not trust the Black Rose, and look for them everywhere, for they are there......